Navy Talent Acquisition Group Los Angeles Area News

[GWU PNS (emeritus)]

This story broke on Navy Times today.

Navy fires head of recruiting for Los Angeles area

Cmdr. Adam K. Pendleton took command of the unit about six months ago.

www.navytimes.com

I had been hearing about issues dealing with applications being lost or mishandled, both for the enlisted side of the house as well as NROTC applicants.

Seems like the senior leaders were checking things out.

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

Sad. It honestly seems like a pretty fun and relative easy job, vetting promising young people as potential future Naval officers and helping them understand all the great benefits associated with serving their country and pursuing a career in the Navy. I honestly think I'd enjoy the work.

Hopefully they find a replacement who has a passion for investing in the lives of people who want to invest in our country.

 

[glen]

Sad. It honestly seems like a pretty fun and relative easy job, vetting promising young people as potential future Naval officers and helping them understand all the great benefits associated with serving their country and pursuing a career in the Navy. I honestly think I'd enjoy the work.

Hopefully they find a replacement who has a passion for investing in the lives of people who want to invest in our country.

No….everyone I have ever known in that role considerd the recruiting job to be one of their hardest non-combat assignments, and for commanders, one of the quickest ways to being fired.

 

[Capt MJ]

Sad. It honestly seems like a pretty fun and relative easy job, vetting promising young people as potential future Naval officers and helping them understand all the great benefits associated with serving their country and pursuing a career in the Navy. I honestly think I'd enjoy the work.

Hopefully they find a replacement who has a passion for investing in the lives of people who want to invest in our country.

I was eternally grateful to avoid recruiting duty. I had a close call with NRD Cleveland (NTAGs used to be called NRDs), was being proposed for a billet there but was thankfully ripped away to fill an emergent need elsewhere (okay, I had to go to Pearl Harbor).

During a 60-day temporary duty between permanent assignments, I was assigned to Navy Recruiting Command to do initial investigations of Inspector General formal complaints for 3 cases at NRDs: misuse of recruiting vehicles (spotted outside an adult club in San Francisco); officer-enlisted fraternization (a stinking mess); and fraudulent enlistment (desperate recruiters skating around the edges to make goal).

Recruiting is done in the public eye, and the public doesn’t hesitate to file complaints. Schools and parents don’t want you talking to their kids; let someone else’s kids serve. Medical DQs are common, given the numbers of inappropriately medicated kids. Physical fitness is often abysmal. Recruiters live and die by the numbers, trying to make monthly goal, and it’s a relentless repeating process with no let-up. The NTAG CO runs a large area and widely dispersed enlisted recruiters, as well as a staff with district admin duties and officer recruiters. There are a 100 ways to get fired (“relieved for cause” or “for lack of confidence”) when you are accountable and responsible for the actions of every one of your people.

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

I was eternally grateful to avoid recruiting duty. I had a close call with NRD Cleveland (NTAGs used to be called NRDs), was being proposed for a billet there but was thankfully ripped away to fill an emergent need elsewhere (okay, I had to go to Pearl Harbor).

During a 60-day temporary duty between permanent assignments, I was assigned to Navy Recruiting Command to do initial investigations of Inspector General formal complaints for 3 cases at NRDs: misuse of recruiting vehicles (spotted outside an adult club in San Francisco); officer-enlisted fraternization (a stinking mess); and fraudulent enlistment (desperate recruiters skating around the edges to make goal).

Recruiting is done in the public eye, and the public doesn’t hesitate to file complaints. Schools and parents don’t want you talking to their kids; let someone else’s kids serve. Medical DQs are common, given the numbers of inappropriately medicated kids. Physical fitness is often abysmal. Recruiters live and die by the numbers, trying to make monthly goal, and it’s a relentless repeating process with no let-up. The NTAG CO runs a large area and widely dispersed enlisted recruiters, as well as a staff with district admin duties and officer recruiters. There are a 100 ways to get fired (“relieved for cause” or “for lack of confidence”) when you are accountable and responsible for the actions of every one of your people.

Thanks for the context. That adds a lot.

I still believe recruiting -- at least recruiting the best candidates -- would be fun. But I have no doubt there is an awful lot of BS involved in the job.

 

[NavyCAPT76]

This story broke on Navy Times today.

Navy fires head of recruiting for Los Angeles area

Cmdr. Adam K. Pendleton took command of the unit about six months ago.

www.navytimes.com

I had been hearing about issues dealing with applications being lost or mishandled, both for the enlisted side of the house as well as NROTC applicants.

Seems like the senior leaders were checking things out.

Agree. This was my son's source unit for this year's scholarship nomination. They did not seem like they had their things together.